Sinking exacerbates U.S. troubles in Japan

The collision at sea that left four Japanese school students and five adults missing and presumed dead is more than an isolated American military catastrophe for those watching from Japan.

Minoru Shibuya, consul general of Japan in Hawai‘i, said the United States and Japan "need to overcome differences posed by this accident and continue our cooperation." Associated Press

For them, it represents a tragic embarrassment — and the latest in a series of gaffes by the U.S. military.

"It’s a whole string of things," said Sheila Smith, a research fellow and specialist in Japanese security at the East-West Center, a military think tank based at the University of Hawai‘i. "It creates a set of images that feed into the perception of the U.S. military as being reckless, unresponsive, not under control and careless."

Those with long memories recall the collision of the USS George Washington, which bashed a Japanese freighter in the East China Sea in 1981. The Japanese press dubbed it a "hit-and-run" because the sub didn’t see through the fog that the freighter was in distress, so it left the scene. The freighter sank 20 minutes later, killing the captain and first mate.

Just reaching back a month is enough to find other examples that have fed the tension.

Police in Naha, Japan, complained Wednesday that the U.S. Marine Corps was uncooperative in their attempts to prosecute Lance Cpl. Kurt Billie, a U.S. Marine suspected of an arson attack last month that destroyed or partially burned five bars in the town of Chatan.

Billie’s boss, Lt. Gen Earl Hailston, the top Marine commander in Okinawa, was embroiled in his own controversy last week when he was compelled to apologize to the governor for an e-mail he wrote that referred to Japanese officials as "nuts and a bunch of wimps."

Last month, a U.S. Navy serviceman was arrested for allegedly breaking an Okinawa bar owner’s finger during a brawl. The same month, a Marine was accused of molesting a 16-year-old girl in Okinawa and lifting her skirt to take pictures.

On the heels of all this comes the news that the civilian tour aboard the USS Greeneville was arranged by retired Adm. Richard Macke, who was forced to retire in 1995 as commander in chief of U.S. forces in the Pacific after he made an offensive remark about the rape of a 12-year-old Japanese girl.

He told reporters at the time that the three servicemen involved in the girl’s rape could have avoided trouble by going to a prostitute, saying, "For the price they paid to rent the car, they could have had a girl."

Collectively, these things have struck a raw nerve in Japan.

"The timing of this incident is particularly bad," said James Clay Moltz, a research professor and submarine expert at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, Calif. "You have a situation where the United States is going to have to make amends."

Already, the submarine collision is reverberating in towns across Japan. Yesterday in Urasoe, where the United States is moving a military port, the mayor said he would not allow submarine visits.

On Okinawa yesterday, a municipal assembly called for the withdrawal of all Marines from the island and the resignation of their commander.

The United States has 46,000 service personnel in Japan, and last week’s submarine accident only reinforces the clamor by those who want to reduce or eliminate the presence of troops.

"I don’t think this is going to get the U.S. kicked out of Japan," Smith said. "But it’s one of those drops in the bucket."

Crew members of the Ehime Maru move through a sea of TV news crews upon their arrival at Narita Airport on Thursday. Associated Press

In the short term, America can smooth its military alliance with Japan as long as it conducts a quick, thorough investigation, she said. So far, top officials have reacted swiftly and appropriately, she said.

But details about the submarine collision continue to infuriate people in the southwestern Japanese fishing village of Uwajima, the home of the Ehime Maru.

"It sounds like the operation lacked professionalism," Uwajima taxi driver Mutsumi Makino said. "It’s incredible to do such a thing in an area filled with dozens of civilian boats."

Japanese media and residents are particularly critical of the fact that civilians had been at the helm.

"It’s outrageous and unforgivable," villager Hirofumi Takeda said. "It sounds like they were fooling around. It’s very upsetting, especially for the people in this town."

Foreign Minister Yohei Kono yesterday called Secretary of State Colin Powell to express his concerns that United States officials did not directly inform Japan that civilians were taking part in the submarine’s maneuvers. Powell promised to work with Japan and to provide information in a timely manner.

In Honolulu, Japanese Consul General Minoru Shibuya echoed Kono’s statements yesterday.

He also called for unity.

"After this kind of accident, people can become emotional, and it is inevitable that some anti-American feelings can arise in Japan, but we want to overcome this," Shibuya said. "We need to overcome differences posed by this accident and continue our cooperation."

Advertiser contributor Johnny Brannon and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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